Sellers: Sell Your Property with Confidence
Selling a home can be a very stressful experience. Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell. You also have an emotional attachment to your home and an experienced real estate agent will help you separate your emotions from the realities of the housing market. We bring a wealth of market knowledge and real-world experience that lets us gauge when to list your home, how to market it and what price to list in order to maximize a property’s profitability while minimizing its time on the market.
01
Making A Decision
While selling home is a common life event, it is not always an easy decision. It’s important to take your time with such major decision and consider following:
- Are you emotionally prepared to leave the home and the memories it holds?
- Are you willing to accept criticism on what need to be fixed and the cost involved?
- Are you in positive equity – ensure you won’t owe more than the home is worth?
- Are you in a financial position to buy a home that better suits your needs?
02
Choosing a Real Estate Agent
Homeowners might be tempted to avoid hiring a real estate agent to save on paying the real estate commission and instead sell their home themselves. But an experienced agent earns the fee by exposing your house to the broadest possible audience and prevent you from showing your home needlessly; to garner the best offers possible; negotiating on your behalf for best possible offers; and since they are familiar with the contracts, disclosures and other paperwork, they can keep you out of legal trouble and minimize the risk of being sued.
03
Prepare Your Home
A pre-sale inspection can be a wise upfront investment, but not mandatory. A detailed inspection report can identify any structural or mechanical issues before your home is listed. It may cost a few hundred dollars, but an inspection will alert you in advance of issues that buyers will likely flag when they do their own inspection later in the process. Depending on your home’s condition, there are three kinds of improvements that will impress buyers and help you sell home for top market value: renovations, upgrades and repairs, reorganization and maintenance. Along these lines, what follows are a few proven, cost-effective ideas that will help your home look its best so you get top market value. Bear in mind, an experienced real estate professional knows what today’s discerning buyers are looking for and can provide more ideas that will maximize your home’s appeal. Sometimes a small investment in time and money can give you a big edge over your competition and generate a faster sale at a higher price.
04
Marketing Your Home
Strategically preparing and pricing your home are master keys to attracting serious, financially-qualified buyers. However, in order to maximize the impact of these preparation and pricing strategies, your home needs to be effectively exposed to the marketplace through variety of tools including, but not limited to:
- Multiple Listing Service (MLS) – Most important tool in the real estate agent’s arsenal is the MLS.
- Yard Sign. Your real estate agent will make sure you have a visible sign on your front yard to attract house hunters out actively looking in your neighborhood.
- Flyers and Direct Mail. Your agent may create property flyers to market your home which can be attached to a yard sign or left at open houses and showings.
- Social Media. Many real estate agents will share your property on their social media pages and with their network of buyer’s agents and other professionals.
- Open house. These can be extremely beneficial to both the seller and the real estate agent. It allows your home to be open for inspection especially by prospective buyers.
05
Accepting Offers
When you receive an offer, you have a few choices: accept the offer as it is, make a counteroffer or reject the offer. A counteroffer is a response to an offer, where you negotiate on terms and price. They should always be made in writing and have a short timeframe (48 hours or less) for the buyer to respond. While the highest price may be most attractive, you should also consider other aspects of the offer before making a decision including:
- How the buyer is paying (cash versus financing)
- Type of financing
- Down payment amount
- Contingencies
- Requests for credits or personal property
- Proposed closing date
06
Closing the Deal
Both the homebuyer and seller have closing costs. Some other costs commonly paid by the seller include: home seller typically pays:
- Real Estate Agent’s commission
- Government transfer tax
- Title insurance
- Recording fees
- Outstanding liens
- Repairs or closing costs if the buyer has negotiated these during negotiations.